Package filling machine



Nov. 4, 1952 J. L. FERGUSON 2,516,605

PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 4, 1952 J. FERGUSON 2,616,605

PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 H1 ul UML JWWK 7% %AKMQ%.

Nov. 4, 1952 J. L. FERGUSON PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 11, 1945 Nov. 4, 1 952 J. L. FERGUSON 2,616,605

PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 a yak I x a.

Nov. 4, 1952 J. FERGUSON 2,616,605

PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 NOV. 4, J E SON 2,616,605

PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 "7" v 3/ f/yfi H] u ,IH 47 W L K H I l 4r l I a mm 41 f?) ill NOV. 4, 1952 so 2,616,605

PACKAGE FiLLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 Nov. 4, 1952 J. L. FERGUSON PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 9' Filed D80. 11, 1945 Patented Nov. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES @FFICE PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE John L. Ferguson, Joliet, Ill., assignor to J. L. Ferguson Company, Joliet, 111., a corporation of Illinois 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a volumetric filler for supplying dry products to cartons progressed through a filling zone. It has particular relation to an apparatus of the indicated type wherein, among other things, a measuring pocket assembly is intermittently moved to allow the measuring pockets completely to stop at both the loading and unloading stations and to move between said stations with considerable speed.

The invention has as one of its objects the provision of means to facilitate the procedure just described so that proportionately considerably more time is available for loading and unloadin the measuring pockets in a volumetric filler than has heretofore been possible, this being true because of the definitely lesser time which is required for movement of the measuring pockets between the loading and unloading stations.

The manner in which the aforesaid object of the invention is carried out, as well as other objects which are attained and further advantages resident in the novel hereinafter disclosed machine will be discussed as the apparatus itself and the manner in which it is operated are described.

This description is hereinafter given in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an apparatus involving the invention and in which two filling spouts are included;

Fig. 2 is an elevational View of the structure shown in Fig. 1, this view being sectioned on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged rear elevational view of certain operating mechanism taken from the back of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, some portions thereof which are not necessary to a full understanding of the view being omitted by breaking the same as indicated;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view taken on the line G-6 of Fig. 5 (from the right of said Fig. 5) and the line 5-6 of Fig. 4 (from the left of said Fig. 4)

Figs. '7 and 8 are fragmentary views of the spout end of the filling structure in a dual container filling apparatus;

Fig. 9 is an elevational fragmentary sectional view of the volumetric measuring portion of a dual container filling apparatus;

Fig. 10 is an elevational front view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating an apparatus wherein four volumetric measuring pockets are simultaneously loaded and thereafter simultaneously unloaded into four adjacently positioned containers;

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the Fig. 10 apparatus; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating in more detail certain ii-container filler mechanism.

The apparatus comprises a bed plate 20, secured to the sides of which are structural columns 2! and 22, upon which latter the conveyor and drive mechanisms of the apparatus are mounted. A motor 23 furnishes the operating powe for the various moving portions of the unit, a driving wheel 24 being fixed to the shaft of said motor. A speed reduction device 25 is provided with a driven wheel 26, and a belt 25a extends between the members 24 and 26 thereby to drive the speed reduction mechanism from said motor. A main vertical operating shaft 21 is driven by the speed reduction mechanism 26 (it not being necessary to show the operating features of the latter), said shaft being connected to the continuously rotating member of a clutch 28, another shaft 21a being connected to the intermittently rotated portion of the clutch 28 and having its upper end disposed in a journal 2Tb at the upper end of the filling machine. A plate 29 extends across the top of the machine between the upper ends of the columns 2| and 22, said plate functioning to support several of the operating portions of the device as well as the lower ends of material supply tubes 30 and 3 I.

A conveyor belt 32 is positioned to carry containers 0 through a filling zone. Said belt 32 passes around rollers 33 and 34 which latter are journaled in brackets 35 and 36 secured to one of the container confining guides 31, the other guide 38 being positioned on the opposite side of the container runway. The guide 31 is secured to the uprights 21 and 22 by bracket members 39 and 40. The belt 32 passes around operating drive wheel or pulley 4| which is mounted on shaft '52, the latter being operated from the bevel gear coupling between gears 43 and M, the latter being pinned to the continuously operating shaft 21.

In addition to the just described conveyor belt operating instrumentalities, said belt also passes over rollers 4 I a and 4 lb which rollers are mounted in brackets M0 and Md, said brackets sliding on guide rods Me and being drawable towards each other by the turning of a turn-buckle 4 If to move said rollers a and Nb toward and away from each other thereby to tighten the belt 32.

The material is fed into the hoppers 30 and II from a material supply, thence into volumetric measuring pockets 45 and 45, the latter operation taking place when a rotary plate 41 is so positioned that apertures 48 and 49 match with the lower ends of the hoppers and the upper ends of the measuring pockets 45 and 4B. The plate 47 has gear teeth 41a formed on its periphery wherefrom it may be intermittently rotated as its teeth mesh with the teeth of gear wheel Said wheel 50 is pinned to the upper end of the intermittently clutch operated shaft 21a. The lower ends of the measuring pockets 45 and 46 are closed (except when it is desired to feed the contents thereof into feed spouts 5| and 52) by a plate 53 which has apertures 54 and 55 therein so that when said apertures match with the lower open ends of the measuring pockets 45 and 46 and the upper open ends of carton supply chutes 5| and 52, the contents of the measuring pockets are permitted to drop down into the filling spout portions 56 and 51 of the material delivery mechanism.

The delivery mechanism is best shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The bottoms of the delivery spouts are closed by clam shell type gates comprising openable parts 58 and 59, the latter being hingedly mounted to be held closed when said gates are in the position shown in Fig. 8. An actuating rod 60 is so pivotally mounted that its free end is movable vertically when the packages are in position to be filled, said free end of rod 83 being secured to the gate members 58 and 59, respectively, through a strap 58a and a pivot connection 59a. Gate actuating roller members 53b and 5912 are so mounted on gates 58 and 59 that when the latter are moved relatively to the surfaces of a double faced cam 56a, said rollers 58b and 59?) cause said gates to move outwardly to open the spout.

The shaft 21a carries a planetary cam 6| which actuates a rocker arm 62 to cause the aforedescribed gates 58 and 59 to open when the roller follower end 63 of said arm 82 is elevated to depress the actuating end 64 of said arm, the roller 63 riding up onto the elevated portion Gla of cam 6| at certain periods during the rotary movement of said cam on said shaft 21a. The rocker arm 62 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 62a as shown in Fig. 2.

As the packages (cartons) C are progressed along the conveyor 32 in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 5), the forward one of the predetermined grouped number thereof contacts an arm constituting one portion of the bell crank H, the other arm 12 of which is pinned to a clutch control rod 13. The end of said rod 13 is con nected to a clutch detent 14 whose end prevents coupled rotation of the clutch portions 28. When, however, the packages push the arm 10 out of their path, the progressive functioning of the just-described parts causes the clutch parts to engage and the intermittently operated clutch portion to make a predetermined revolution. Thus the detent is held out of clutch stopping engagement at all times when the containers are fed in predetermined manner by the conveyor 32. In other words, as long as the arm 10 is not permitted to remain in the position shown in Fig. 5, there is no occasion for varying the uniform action of the filling and measuring mechanism. If, however, the arm 10 is not enaged by the packages and assumes its lowermost position (having reference to Fig. 5). the detent falls into the clutch-stopping recess, and the feeding and measuring function ceases until a normal predetermined supply of containers is again assured. The hand-operating mechanism (also shown in Fig. 5) may be utilized to elfect the same control of operations if one does not choose continuously to rely upon the automatic control operable through the arm 10.

Upon the occurrence of the engagement of the clutch parts 28 as above related the instrumentalities connected or pinned to the vertical shaft 27a also function to carry out their specified purposes. A cam carrier 15 has a package stop cam 71 and a package hold-back cam T8 mounted thereupon and since the cam carrier 16 is pinned to the shaft 21a, said cams Ti and 18 rotate when the clutch portions are connected. The rotation of package stop cam 11 moves bell crank lever Ha to pull connecting member l'l'b to swing depending arm Tic pinned to shaft 'lld, thereby to move cam stop He into the path of the most forwardly situated package. Said most forwardly situated package is then stopped. In the structure now being described, the mechanism is arranged so that two containers are simultaneously filled. Accordingly, two containers are stopped in a position directly beneath the drop spouts of the hoppers 56 and 5'! (see Fig. 1).

It is necessary momentarily to retard the flow of the empty cartons when the filled cartons are released, to create a space between the filled and empty cartons for the package stop Tie to return into position. Package hold-back cam I8 operates bell crank lever 18a through connecting rod 581) to swing depending arm 18c, thereby to rotate shaft 16d to force plate pressure member 18c (carried arm 18 against the package immediately to the rear of the second of the two packages in the group being filled. This results in holding back the package line by reason of the compressor 18c pushing the package against the outer guide 3'! and stopping its forward movement. At, such time the conveyor 32 moves freely beneath the package line, the exerted holding forces being superior to the frictional force tending to compress the packages as the conveyor continues to move.

Also pinned to the shaft 27a is shaker cam 30 provided with peripherally positioned recesses 80a into which a cam follower 80b carried on one arm 860 of a pivoted member d may nest. Accordingly as the shaker cam 80 rotates, the arm 80d moves vertically to vibrate a shaker member 80c against the under side of the conveyor belt 32 just beneath the area upon which the two being-filled packages are located at the moment.

The movement of the measuring pockets 45 and 46 first beneath the supply members 30 and 3! and then over the chutes 5| and 52 is synchronized with the movement of the remaining hereinbefore described instrumentalit-ies as the clutch mechanism is progressively rendered operative by the impingement of the first of a specified group of packages against the arm 10. Said arm 10 moves back into the path of the packages (the full line position in Fig. 5) after the filling cycle is completed. Upon this latter occurrence the end of the rod 13 again causes the clutch deactuating member 15 to prevent further rotation of shaft 21a and its associated mechanisms. Upon completion of the filling cycle, the hold-back cam 18 and the stop cam 11 have also reached such position that the members 11c and 186 are withdrawn from operating relation to the package line thereby to permit the packages to progress as carried by the conveyor belt 32. Thereafter the hereinbefore described cycle is repeated.

When no packages are in position to be filled, the foregoing instrumentalities do not open the gates 58 and 59 at the bottom of thefilling spouts. Thus a simple no-container no-fill device is part of the hereinbeiore described mechanism.

Figs. 10, l1, l2 and 13 illustrate as far as necessary the additional mechanism utilized with advantage when a group to be filled comprises as many as four packages. Only those instrumentalities which are additional to those hereinbefore described will be specifically referred to, it being understood that the mechanism not specifically described operates in the same manner to eventuate the same functions as are provided in the already described apparatus.

However, in order to insure that as many packs ages as four shall. be properly progressed along the conveyor and sufiiciently positively contact against the arm it, it has been found desirable to provide container pusher rolls IE8 and lill driven by V pulleys liliia and lllla. The latter pulleys engage the edges of and are driven by the conveyor 32. The rolls engage the cartons as shown and positively move them in order to provide enough pressure against the clutch trip lever .i: so that it will actuate positively.

Moreover, it has been found desirable to provide slightly different filling instrumentalities when a group of packages to be filled simultaneously comprises the four cartons as shown in Figs. 10, ll, 12 and 13. The material supply in the machine now being described comprises a hopper its in which agitator blades R16 are arranged to be moved by niitre gears it"! and I ilil, the latter gear being mounted on shaft Z'la. Also mounted on shaft Zlc is a gear H39 meshing with gear lit, the latter having ratchet arm H! attached thereto and arranged to engage teeth spaced 90 apart on member H2. Accordingly, as the shaft filo is moved by the joinder of the clutch members in clutch 23, the gear llil is moved to rotate the member H2 through 520. lhis is done with comparative rapidity thereby insuring that the our measuring pockets will be moved from material receiving position to material pocket supplying position very rapidly as compared with the time which may be spent in filling and at the next step depositing the filled material into the container supply chutes. The ratchet type drive makes possible such intermediate movement and thus allows the pockets to stop completely at the loading and unloading stations and to move therebetween with considerable speed as indicated. This is a distinct advantage as compared to a continuously uni form rotary movement of the pockets and is especially of advantage for products of the lesser free flowing type. Moreover, the gain in time at the filling stat-ion whence the material is fed from the hopper into the measuring pockets permits the use of the hopper agitators to full efiectiveness. it will be observed that there are two sets of four pockets each in the filling head and that therefore a high speed filling mechanism is eventuated.

No attempt has been made to describe meticulously the details of the various mechanisms included in the hereinbefore described apparatus. These are all so clearly illustrated in the drawings that it is not believed further oral description thereof is required. Moreover, the principles embodied in the above machines may be clothed in many different specific mechanical habiliments. Accordingly, while some of the illustrated detail may in a subcombination sense he of patentable worth and be hereinafter claimed, nevertheless it is to be understood that the principles disclosed herein may be utilized in other forms without departing from the spirit of this invention and that therefore the appended claims are intended to be broadly interpreted and not limited by the names given the particular operating elements in said apparatus.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for filling material into containers, a material supply, measuring and filling means, container conveyor means in the form of a single endless belt, means for momentarily halting a predetermined plurality of containers at a filling zone on said belt while material is fed simultaneously into each of said plurality by said filling means while said conveyor is continuously progressed and the containers are resting thereon, and means for synchronously presenting and halting a plurality of filling means to said material supply for filling while said plurality of containers is halted and supplied, said latter means including a ratchet mechanism to provide an exceptionally quick traverse from filling to unloading positions, said container halting means comprising a member in said filling zone adapted to be engaged by said containers therein and a clutch mechanism co-operating therewith.

2. In an apparatus for filling material into containers, a material supply, measuring and filling means, container conveyor means, means for momentarily halting a predetermined plurality of containers while material is fed simultaneously into each of said plurality by said filling means while said conveyor is continuously progressed and means for synchronously presenting and halting a corresponding plurality of filling means to said material supply for filling while said plurality of containers is halted and supplied, said latter means comprising a ratchet rod and wheel for quickly moving said filling means from the supply to the deposit stations, said wheel being provided with toothed segments commensurate with the pause stations of the measuring means.

3. In an apparatus for filling material into containers, a material supply, measuring and filling means, container conveyor means, and means for momentarily halting a predetermined plurality of containers while resting on the conveyor and material is fed simultaneously into each of said plurality by said filling means while said conveyor is continuously progressed, said filling means including depending chutes for the respective containers having vertically expansible and contractable connections with the containers, said halting means comprising a continuously driven member and intermittently operable device actuated by arrival of said predetermined plurality of containers in a filling zone to connect said continuously operating device with said intermittently operating device, said latter connection also having means functioning to stop all but the predetermined plurality of containers and for positively halting the about-to-be filled containers at a predetermined filling zone, and means for vertically vibrating the packages only while the material is being deposited therein, the said vertical connections maintaining material flowable connections during such vibration.

4. In an apparatus for filling material into con- 'tainers, a material supply, measuring and filling means, container conveyor means, means for momentarily halting a predetermined plurality of containers while resting on the conveyor and material is fed simultaneously into each of said plurality by said filling means while said conveyor is continuously progressed, said last means comprising a continuously driven member and intermittently operable device actuated by arrival of said predetermined plurality of containers in a filling zone to connect said continuously operating device with said intermittently operating device, said connection also functioning to stop all but the predetermined plurality of containers and for positively halting the about-to-be filled containers at a predetermined filling zone, and means for vertically vibrating the packages only while the material is being deposited therein, said connection also operating to agitate the material supply to insure proper filling of the measuring means irrespective of the flowability of said material.

5. In an apparatus for filling material into containers, a material supply, measuring and filling means including traveling measuring pockets and container supply chutes, container conveyor means, stop means for momentarily halting a predetermined plurality of containers beneath said chutes for filling, one container to each chute, tightly closing clam-shell type lower end gates for said chutes, means for lowering said end gates into the containers and then opening the same to discharge the material into the containers, means for vertically vibrating the containers only during said discharge of material thereinto and operating mechanism for said apparatus connected and timed to efiect registration of the measuring pockets with the delivery chutes to deliver material into the said chutes while their said end gates are still closed.

6. In an apparatus for filling material into containers, a material supply, measuring and filling means, container conveyor means, means for momentarily halting a predetermined plurality of containers in a filling zone while material is fed simultaneously into each of said plurality by said filling means while said conveyor is continuously progressed and said containers are resting thereon, means for vertically vibrating said predetermined plurality of containers only during said simultaneous feed of material thereinto, and operating means for said measuring and filling means controlled by containers in said filling zone.

7. In an apparatus for filling material into containers, a material supply, measuring and filling means, container conveyor means, means for momentarily halting in a filling zone a predetermined plurality of containers to rest on the conveyor while material is fed simultaneously into each of said plurality by said filling means while said conveyor is continuously progressed, means for vertically vibrating said predetermined plurality of containers only during said simultaneous feed of material thereinto, said filling means including chutes having vertically movable lower ends to connect with the respective containers when in the filling position, operating means for said measuring and filling means, control means for said operating means responsive to the presence or absence of containers in the filling zone suitably to control said operating means, and means for releasing said containers after said filling is completed to permit them to be carried out of the filling zone by said conveyor.

8. In an apparatus for filling material into containers, a material supply, measuring and filling means, container conveyor means, means for momentarily halting a predetermined plurality of containers in a filling zone while material is fed simultaneously into each of said plurality by said filling means while said conveyor is continuously progressed and the containers are resting thereon, means for vertically vibrating said predetermined plurality of containers only during said simultaneous feed of material thereinto, said filling means including chutes for the respective containers having their lower ends loosely connected with the containers during filling to permit filling during said vibrating and prevent escape of the material, means for synchronously presenting and halting a plurality of filling means to said material supply for filling while said pluraity of containers is halted and supplied, and operating means for said measuring and filling means controlled by the containers in the filling zone.

9. In an apparatus for filling material into containers, a material supply, measuring and filling means, container conveyor means, means for momentarily halting in a filling zone a predetermined plurality of containers while resting on the conveyor and material is fed simultaneously into each of said plurality by said filling means while said conveyor is continuously progressed, means for vertically vibrating said predetermined plurality of containers only during said simultaneous feed of material thereinto, said filling means including delivery chutes for the respective containers having lower end gates for opening and closing the chutes, means for lowering said chute ends and gates into the containers in filling position and then opening the gates to deposit the material into the containers, means for operating said measuring and filling means, and control means for said operating means, said last means comprising an engageable member in the filling zone responsive to the passage along said conveyor of said predetermined plurality of containers and an associated clutch mechanism co-operating therewith.

10. In a machine for filling dry-product material into containers having end-closing flaps, a material supply, measuring and filling means including traveling measuring pockets and container supply chutes, the pockets traveling between the supply and chutes, a continuously operating container-carrying belt conveyor be neath the chutes, stop means temporarily halting a plurality of containers below the chutes for filling, one for each chute, the containers remaining on the belt while filling and the belt continuing its travel, the lower ends of said chutes having vertically movable extensions, tightly closing clam-shell type gates at the lower ends of said extensions, means for lowering said ex tensions and carrying the gates while closed down between the end flaps into the containers and there opening the gates to discharge the material in the chutes into the containers and then raising said extensions and closing said gates, means for vertically vibrating that portion of the belt beneath the containers and the containers thereon during filling, the telescopic connection between the gates and containers at the time maintaining intact the material discharge passage into the containers, and operating mechanism of the machine timed to effect registration of the said measuring pockets with the chutes to deliver material into said chutes while their end gates are closed.

JOHN L. FERGUSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Tremaine Apr. 16, 1912 Number Name Date Colver Apr. 10, 1934 Ecklund Oct. 30, 1934 Bleam June 1, 1937 Ryan et a1. Nov. 29, 1938 Kotcher Aug. 1, 1939 Howard June 11, 1940 Raymer July 18, 1944 Rhodes Feb. 22, 1949 

